Trip to Senegal’s Versions of Mecca

Two weekends ago, my history of Islam class took a trip to Senegal’s two major Muslim brotherhood pilgrimage sites—Tivuoaune and Touba. For a group of twelve American university students, this was the deepest cultural immersion we’ve experienced yet.

Though I assume this is a characteristic of Senegal and not of CIEE programs in general, students here need to take a lot of initiative because the quality of information is lacking. For example, the first day I arrived, my roommate and I would not have found the University or orientation site had luck not allowed us to run into another student who had arrived the previous day. Our spring breaks are entirely student planned, and even though I went to the Petite Cote—a close and popular tourist destination—the directors had very little advice or guidance for my friends and I. Like much of Senegal, the CIEE office attitude reflects a “you’ll figure it out” or “it will all work out” or even “wait and see what happens” quality. So, when we departed for Tivuoaune with nothing but a list of phone numbers and a budget to cover expenses, we were not terribly surprised.

We arrived five hours later, sweat-soaked from the afternoon bus ride, and met our professor in the “city.” Though Tivuoaune is arguably the largest Tijaan pilgrimage center (with the other possibility resting at the distant Koalack), the site is more like a village. The Tijaan brotherhood, the largest in Senegal, is characterized by a serious, scholastic nature; Tijaanis adhere to 39 specific principles in addition to those found in the Qur’an and Islam. All of the residents of the “city” are disciples of the Caliph and spend each day serving the brotherhood’s interests. The largest buildings are the three mosques, the Caliph’s kitchen—which is open 24 hours a day for any hungry Tijaan free of charge, the buildings which house the Caliph’s family and wives, and the Caliph’s house. The daara, or Qur’anic school, of Tivuoaune attracts Tijaan boys from all over the country to have the opportunity to study and perhaps one day become a Cheikh themselves. (Local girls attend the daara as well, but in separate morning classes because they do not offer boarding for female students.)

While the young students we saw leaving the daara after prayer were certainly practicing economic humility, I had a different impression during my visit with our host—Moustapha SY, a young and powerful marabout whose great-grandfather established the Tijaans at Tivuoaune and whose father is the current Caliph. Because our professor is a Tijaan and a famous scholar here in Senegal, we essentially got the hook up in Tivuoaune. Marabout SY invited us into his home, where he explained the legacy and importance of his great-grandfather, El Hadjj Malick SY, and then took our questions. Though Marabout SY was without question generous and hospitable, he was neither particularly warm nor charismatic. Perhaps his speaking style reflects the scholastic nature of his devotion, but I unfortunately took a more cynical view that his personal power rests more in his family legacy than his own dynamism. The home of the Marabout, separate from the home of the Caliph which we did not visit, was by far the nicest residence I have seen in Senegal. I jokingly remarked that one could have imagined a domesticated tiger walking across the Persian carpets in the living rooms accented by gold picture frames and vases of peacock feathers. After our interview, Marabout SY showed us to our lodgings at the Caliph’s guest house and presented us (about three hours later, not unusual here in Senegal) with a veritable fest for dinner. There was salad, lamb kabobs, chicken, onion sauce, tuna salad, potatoes, fruits, soda pops, juice—really everything imaginable with the ingredients available here. We slept in comfortable beds and lounge chaises and left after a similarly luxurious breakfast in the morning.

After about three hours, we arrived in Touba—the pilgrimage center of the Mourides, the most visible of the brotherhoods here in Senegal. The Mouride founder, Cheikh Amadou Bamba, was actually a Tijaan scholar who amassed an incredible number of followers and was exiled by the French colonial administration. While Tijaanism is characterized by pious and serious reflection, Mouridism is an all-consuming emotional devotion to not only Allah and the Prophet Muhammad but also to Bamba. As our guide, Cheikh SENN, explained, “Mourides are always smiling because they are men of serenity, cleansed of their sins here in Touba and promised Paradise by Bamba.” Cheikh SENN took us on a tour of Touba, including the library—which houses the complete collections of writings by Cheikh Amadou Bamba, “the most prolific author in any language ever in the entire world in both quantity and quality”, the mosque—an incredibly beautiful and enormous tiled and chandeliered building, and the mausoleums of Bamba and his sons—the line of Mouride Caliphs.

The vibe of Touba is palpably different than Tivuoaune for an outsider; quite frankly, it seemed more welcoming. However, the Mourides have encountered strong controversy recently here in Senegal’s political arena. President Wade, a member of the Mouride brotherhood, has appointed overwhelmingly Mourides to his cabinet and allowed his Caliph and Marabout to publicly discuss his decisions. Senegal is known for its tolerance of religious diversity, and Muslims and Christians here (who make up a small majority of the population at about 5%) have few disputes here because they both believe in one God. To some, Wade’s actions have signaled his intentions to “de-secularize” Senegal’s governance which frightens and angers the other brotherhoods. To the Mourides, criticizing Wade’s close relationship to Touba and his religious leaders is the same as criticizing the entire brotherhood, and Cheikh SENN compared the Mouride determination to mobilize and expand to American manifest destiny.

The visit certainly left an indelible impression on me, beginning with my traditional outfits that covered all but my face and hands. (Don’t worry, I have pictures.) Most of all, the visit continued to highlight the unique and synchretic nature of Senegal’s Sufi Islam. Muslims here REALLY do not like being compared to Sunnis or Shiias and are particularly virulent when discussing differences from Arab practices and culture. Both Tijaanism and Mouridisme have bases entirely extraneous of the Qur’an, and the lack of questioning and level of purposeful devotion certainly worry me in Senegal’s stagnant political climate. President Wade is at least 88 years old and has no cohesive opposition or successor, with the exception of his unpopular and privileged son. One wonders which side—that of peaceful and elegant Sufism or the hard core in-group identity of the brotherhoods—would prevail if a catalyst for conflict emerged. And, unlike in the US—where religious zealots both frustrate and amuse me—I worry that a political catalyst could bring Senegal into the same unstable and bloody religious conflict of many of its African neighbors.